Tottenham Hotspur fans under attack in Lyon

21 February 2013 07:17

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Three Tottenham fans are said to have been taken to hospital, one with a head injury, after a group of up to 50 masked thugs attacked a bar on the eve of their team's game in Lyon.

Eyewitnesses say the group of attackers smashed doors and threw cast iron chairs, wooden objects, and a flare in to the Smoking Dog pub in Lyon while up to 150 Spurs fans were drinking in the establishment, which is popular among ex-pats in the French city.

It is the second time that Tottenham fans have been targeted by an apparent anti-Semitic attack in the last three months. In November, fans of the club, which has a traditionally strong Jewish following, were ambushed inside a pub in Rome on the eve of their game against Lazio.

Eyewitnesses inside the Smoking Dog said the thugs attacked the bar at 10.18pm on Wednesday night and then returned shortly after to launch another assault on the pub, which was damaged extensively as a result.

The pub's landlord, Dave Eales from Retford, said: "At 10.18 the pub was rammed with Tottenham fans watching the Champions League on the television. The front of the pub, which is made up of reinforced glass, was attacked by 20-25 people.

"They threw projectiles through the windows. There was a stand off. They didn't get in to the bar. Then it calmed down. Then they came back a second time and it all started again. There were three injured Tottenham fans taken away by ambulance. One of them had a head injury. I'm not sure how bad it was."

Far-right thugs were blamed for the knife attack on Tottenham's supporters in Rome and two eye-witnesses claimed the attack could have had an anti-Semitic motive.

One, who did not want to be named, said: "There were 50 who attacked in the first wave and 25 in the second. It's a pretty scary thing when you're confronted by people doing Nazi salutes.

"A lit flare was thrown through the window as well as the heavy weight, the kind that's used on terraces to hold down umbrellas. It was terrifying. I've never seen anything like it. They threw iron stools through the windows as well."

A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said: "We are aware of reports of an attack on British nationals in France and are offering consular assistance." Tottenham said they were aware of reports of the attack.